Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A Pastor's Wife Responds to:Todd Bentley-Revival in Lakeland-Email from a 'Lakeland Resident'


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Todd Bentley Revival in Lakeland-Email From-'A Lak...":

I am a pastor's wife and have not seen good fruit in our church from this revival. My heart has been grieved by what has been displayed and then has been reproduced. My desire is not to rip Mr. Bentley to shreds. I would simply like to share the Word in light of this revival because the Word seems to be lacking severely and also in the people who are embracing it.

I would also like to address the dear person that referred to Jezebel resisting the prophetic because she killed the prophets of God and you concluded this is a Jezebel spirit coming against Todd. Please read the Word! She had her own prophets of Baal in 1 KINGS 18:19 (450 prophets of Baal who she liked so much they ate at her (Jezebel's) table). Jezebel LOVED the "prophetic" dear friend! Let us return to the WORD OF GOD and be conformed to it.

1 Thess. 5:19-21 "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. TEST ALL THINGS: hold fast to what is good."

We MUST test all things. If we are not allowed to test or hold one into account there is a problem.

2Tim. 3:16 "ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Todd says "his fruit" and the fruit of revival is people getting saved and healed. I beg to differ. Scripture says:

Gal.5:22,23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, GENTLENESS, SELF CONTROL.

GIFTS ARE NOT FRUIT, they're gifts and we get those gifts whether we use them for God or not because the gifts of God are with out repentance.

1Cor. 3:6-7,21,23 "I planted, Apollos watered, BUT GOD GAVE THE INCREASE. So then neither he who plants IS ANYTHING, NOR HE WHO WATERS, BUT GOD WHO GIVES THE INCREASE!" vs. 21 "Therefore LET NO ONE BOAST IN MEN. For all things are yours." vs.23 "And you are Christ's and Christ's is God's."

Whose fruit is it then if those things are happening? It is the Lord's fruit and ALL glory should go to Him.

There is constant talk in Todd's messages about "his" visions and revelations and experiences. Is God's Word not enough? I dare say we have forgotten our CHIEF CORNERSTONE CHRIST JESUS!

1Cor. 13 (ENTIRE CHAPTER) Love DOES NOT PARADE ITSELF! DOES NOT BOAST! IS NOT PUFFED UP!

1Cor. 1:31.."that as it is written, HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD."

Beloved, Paul does NOT say glory in signs, wonders, miracles, visions, experiences!!!! In fact Paul says in:

2Cor. 12:1-6 Paul has this heavenly experience please read it for yourself. Then he says this "Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I WILL NOT BOAST, EXCEPT IN MY INFIRMITIES. vs.6 "For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain LEST ANYONE THINK OF ME ABOVE WHAT HE SEES ME TO BE OR HEARS FROM ME."

Paul goes on to tell about the "messenger of Satan" given to Paul to buffet him and so he would not be vs.7 "exalted above measure BY THE ABUNDANCE OF REVELATIONS." He also goes on to say there were signs and wonders that followed apostles. The difference is this....one exalts man and the gifts and the strengths, Paul or true followers exalt Christ FIRST and boasts in weakness!

Demons and men submitted to demons/satan CAN DO MIRACLES!

Matt.7:15-23 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are reavenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."

Please KEEP READING AND WE WILL ALL CLEARLY SEE THEIR FRUITS ARE NOT SIGNS AND WONDERS.

vs.21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me "LORD, LORD, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the WILL of MY FATHER in heaven. MANY will say to me in that day, "LORD, LORD", HAVE WE NOT PROPHECIED IN YOUR NAME, CAST OUT DEMONS IN YOUR MANE AND DONE MANY WONDERS IN YOUR NAME?" AND THEN I WILL DECLARE TO THEM, "I NEVER "KNEW" YOU; DEPART FROM ME YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS!"

Concerning a great revival and harvest that sounds lovely, but what does the Word say? Also concerning Satan not being able to do signs and wonders this is what the Word says.

2Thess. 2:1-4,9 "Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask of you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless THE FALLING AWAY COMES FIRST, and then man of sin is revealed the son of perdition. (I am in NO way implying that Todd is that man of perdition for I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MY POINT IS THE REVIVAL AND THE FACT THAT SIGNS WONDERS AND MIRACLES DO NOT PROVE REVIVAL and I'm just not sure there is going to be a great revival, but I certainly see here there will be a falling away and the love of many will wax cold)

vs.4 who opposes and exalts HIMSELF ABOVE ALL THAT IS CALLED GOD OR THAT IS WORSHIPED, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (When we constantly speak of ourselves more than we speak of Jesus we are exalting ourself it is the "spirit of lawlessness" which WILL AND IS MAKING A WAY FOR the "man of lawlessness" to come and work.

vs.9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, WITH ALL POWER, SIGNS AND LYING WONDERS.

Dear ones, I am not against prophecies, healings, miracles, signs and wonders. Jesus Christ is just so beautiful, perfect, just and true and worthy OF ALL HONOR, GLORY, AND PRAISE we don't need to run to lesser lovers.

Matt.24:5 "For many will come in MY name saying that I AM THE CHRIST and deceive many." Here people are even saying "JESUS IS LORD" AND THEY'RE COMING IN HIS NAME and they will deceive.

Matt. 24: 23-24 says....."Or go here or there because Christ is there do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and SHOW GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS to decieve if possible even the very elect."

The church has forsaken God's Word and we have chosen to live according to our FEELINGS or a show. Our God has become our bellies. We want to "feel" good or feel the chills or experience something instead of dying daily and taking up our cross. That's boring and painful. That's understandable.

However, when we exalt those things above the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world or we exalt the creation instead of the Creator we are open for destruction!!!! We are exchanging the truth for a lie then as Rom.1:25 says. Let us turn back to the Author and Finisher of our faith, the ONE who holds all things together and in whom ALL AUTHORITY, POWER AND GLORY BELONG!!! Let Jesus be front and center! Let Jesus be exalted and bragged on and glorified. Let man be hidden so that Christ ALONE is seen!

God bless each one of you as you seek TRUTH.


Posted by Anonymous to CHURCH WARNINGS at May 13, 2008 10:40 AM
Todd Bentley Revival in Lakeland-Email From-'A Lakeland Resident'

Todd Bentley-New Age Angel Emma-Bob Jones-Patricia King-False Revival hyped by God TV-TBN-Charisma-Rick Joyner-Heritage-Paul Cain-Occult-Wolves

7 comments:

pjmiller said...

Beautifully written and biblically sound...

This really encouraged me today...a big thank you to the 'Pastor's wife'..

A. said...

"The church has forsaken God's Word and we have chosen to live according to our FEELINGS or a show."

So true. & it's easy (& I speak from my own experience) to do this. I pray for myself & all of us that we will not be led by our feelings but we will be led by our faith in Jesus Christ.

Anonymous said...

Dear Pastor's wife. THANK you for sharing this. The scriptures implore us to rightly divide the word of truth.

Jan Flowing said...

Thank you for this, it is good to read the concerns of someone who is able to speak the truth in love and not simply judge or condemn the individuals who are leading this movement.

I am praying a lot about all of this, it is the subject of my thoughts much of the time. At times i find myself unrested within because my heart cannot agree with the roots of this movement (branham, KCP, the angel emma, the glorying in visions, the questionable doctrine etc...) and yet i do so desire to be open to the Spirit and not to be pharisaical and fail to see God at work, so i am torn sometimes wondering what IS the truth about this? If it is not from God, it is a DANGEROUS delusion to the church. If it is from God, may he forgive me for being perhaps overcautious. But we are right to test the spirits, and the Lord knows our hearts. He knows those who are his and may he strengthen us all and give us humility, discernment, wisdom and all the grace we need to stand firm in TRUTH.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all the scriptures and insight. I have been seeking the Lord, because I have realatives involved in leadership and friendship with Todd Bentley. My heart has been grived over the years and our fellowship with our realatives has been estranged because we are not in agreement of their beliefs.

It is out of a heart for the Lord and compassion for people that I write this. I have been to one conference service when Todd Bentley spoke. (It was only to see our realatives.) He did not preach, he only told of his special super spiritual experiences with angels and third heaven revelations. It was all very disturbing to me. We later went to visit in the green room and he was rude, arrogant, and over-indulgent. Bad manners do not disqualify a person's ministry, but false teachings and wrong motives for money, power, and fame DOES. I was very concerned for my realatives involvement with this man and ministry involvement along with all the people that do these conferences together.

The service itself was unusual, yet all the conference goers seemed to think it was great. You could tell it was a group that followed the conferences from town to town. There is no sound doctrine taught. They revel in "new" revelations and "words" so that they can publish and "sell" it! I got the feeling that they had the attitude that "these people are so dumb they will BUY ANYTHING." The people pay to go to these conferences, they take extra offerings, they "sow seed" into special offerings, and they sell books and tapes of low quality for high prices.

My discernment picked up on the New Age influence right away along with the "mixed" spiritual over indulgence. There is a twinge of the true Holy Spirit and some true scriptures quoted only to justify their experiences. I do recongnize Paul's encounters in Acts, but Paul wouldn't even speak of them, these folks want to get these experences so others will come to their conferences and buy their products.

As a Christian, I want true revival. As a Christian I want more of the Lord, but I want to "serve" the Lord and learn the Word and LIVE the life. Call me old fashioned, but I would rather have sound doctrine than all this new prophetic and over indulgence fleshly manifestations. I have been filled with the Holy Spirit for 31 years.

One side note: The tatoos and piercings are not pre-Christian to Todd Bentley. He recently got them.

Anonymous said...

This is the most sensible thing I have heard yet!THANK YOU MY DEAR SISTER!I wish I could give you a big hug.Finally,someone had the answer to those who call us Jezebel,blasphemers,pharisees,etc.because we truly discern what is going on here.Something is very,very wrong here,I dont care how many people get healed(if,indeed they do get healed at all..)SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG HERE>Alease Davis,Cleveland ohio

peacebringer said...

Thank you dear sister,
Your words echo many of my thoughts. Grace to you.